Paper-feeding device



May 22, 1928.

. 1,670,901 5. PLUM. 2D

PAPER FEEDING DEVI CE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 2, 1926 ATTORNEY May 22, 1928. v 1,670,901

s. H. PLUM, 2D

PAPER FEEDING DEVI CE Filed Nov. 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented May 22, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,670,901 PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN HAINES PLUM, 2D, MADISON, NEW JERSEY.

I'APEB-FEEDING DEVICE.

* Application filed November 2, 1926. Serial No. 145,749.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic feeders for platen presses ofthe type and general construction of that disclosedin the United States Letters Patent patent (will be referred to for a general unp derstanding of the invention, and only so much of an automatic feeder 1S illustrated as is necessary to show the partlcular 1myprovements aimed at.

Those parts whichin thepresent instance are similar. to like parts in the patent are numbered with the same reference numerals to facilitate comparison and study. I

The automatic feeder in the atent is characterized by a construction in which the paper is pneumatically separated and conveyed from the pile to a guiding rack or transfer table in front of the platen. The paper thereafter is fed from the transfer table to the platen. The pneumatic separating means or suction nozzles are pivoted on a shaft which inturnisjournaled in two upright swinging arms between which the suction nozzles are suspended from said shaft.

The shaft is mounted in the upper ends of the arms and is swung in an overhead are or concavely, while at the same time the nozzles are swung in a hollow are or convex'edly'on said shaft between the arms. This same construction is employed in the present instance, except that the arms are arranged to swing in a longer are so as to feed the paper from the pile directly'to the stop gages on the platen, thus dispensing with the paper transfer table and much mechanism required for the operation thereof. i

As a consequence, the present feeder is more simple in construction, more efficient in operation, of lower cost in manufacture and feeds the paper directly to the bottom edge of the platen.

In the accompanying drawings which I show the preferred embodiment of the in- Fig. 2is a righthand view of Figure 1 with parts omitted and parts broken away. ,The present feeder, like the one in the said Patent N 0. 1,584,468, is particularly designed for use on a Chandler & Price job.

platen press, without, however, being expressly limited thereto. This type of press is so well known in the art'that only the briefest reference thereto is required for an understanding of the invention. In the drawing in Figure l the press is identified by the frame 3, the platen pivot 5 and the laten 6. In Figure 2 the frame is indicated in dotted lines.

On each side of the press in front of the platen, there is secured a pair of lixedbrackets 19 and 20. An inclined paper feed table.

18 is arranged to rest on the said brackets on suitable stops 21. Extending. from side to side on the paper feed tablel8 is a paper supporting shelf 22 on Which the pile of paper 15 is adapted to rest, suitable front stops-23 being provided; The paper feed table 18 is adapted to be raised from the brackets 19 and 20 and swungto one side and the particular construction and .operation thereof is all fully described in the said patent and need not be repeated here.

The top sheet of the paper isseparated from the pile by means of one or vmore suction nozzles. The nozzle is in the form of a smallhollow casting 50, Figure 2, which at its lower end carries a suitable rubber suction cup 53. The casting 50 is pivoted in a suitable nozzle hanger 56 slidably mounted on a nozzle support 57 secured to a nozzle shaft 72. The nozzles and their particular construction and operation is identical with the nozzles in the said patent and the parts are numbered correspondingly.

The suction nozzles are operated as followsz-The nozzle shaft 72 is journaled in two upright swinging arms 75 and 76, one on each'side of the feed table 18. The arms are pivoted at their lower ends at 25 and of the swinging arms 75 and 7 Gare connected across by a tube 77 and a rod 78.. The arms and their connections form an 0scillating 0r swinging nozzle carriage for operating the nozzlesfrom a liaper pickup position as shown in full lines in Figure 1 to a. paper delivery position as shown in dotted lines in said figure. The carriage is operated as follows.

()utside the one arm 7 5 the shaft 72 carries an arm 79 to which is pivoted a link 80, the other end of which is pivoted to an arm 81 which in turn is pivoted on the arm pivot 25. The arms 7 5, 79, 81 and link 80 form practically a parallelogram for pr0perly oscillating the nozzle shaft 72 to position the nozzles accurately with respect to the paper and the platen. F or this purpose the shaft 72 carries adjustably clamped thereto a nozzle stop 82, with a spring 83,- Figure 2, which tends to move the stop and shaft 72 in a clockwise direction in Figure 1, one end of the spring acting against the stop, the other end of the spring being fast in the arm 75.

That is to say, the spring 83 tends at all times to rotate the shaft 72 upwardly andtowards the paper, consequently also acts to force the three other sides of the parallelogram downward to the right in Figure 1 until the lower end of the arm '81 comes to rest upon an adjustable stop 84 mounted in the extreme lower end of the arm support 27. 'The nozzle stop 82 is also moved into contact with an adjustable abutment 85 adjustably carried by the connecting rod 7 8 by a set screw 86.

The position of the nozzles in the paper pick up position is determined by the posi tion of the nozzle stop 82 against the abutment 85. If the latter is screwed down, the nozzles will be moved towards the platen and vice versa. In the paper delivery position, as shown dotted in Figure 1,'the adjustment ot the nozzles, that is the point of delivery, is regulated by the stop 84. The means for operating the nozzles are identical. with those shown in the said patent. In the latter, the carriage operating means consist of a series of interconnected levers which are actuated from the connecting rod on the one side oi the press by means of a relatively large bell crank. In the present instance thenozzle carriag is operated on its pivots 25 and 26 by means of a link 30 pivoted to the arm 75 at 88, while the other end of said link pivoted to the upper end31 of a large lever pivoted at 33 to the bracket 19. the arm 31 is made by a removable stud 34, because, when the delivery table is to be raised and swung to one side as above mentioned, the link 30 must be temporarily disconnected from the arm.

The lever 32 constitutes a means for operating the nozzle carriage, and said lever may be suitably connected to any part of the press convenient for the purpose. This particular part is not shown because a mere matter of mechanical connection and because The connection between. the link 30* and the said patent clearly discloses one form thereof suitable for the present purpose.

The separated sheet is conveyed from the pile to the platen about as shown dotted in Figure 1 anc is fed with its leading edge directly against the usual stop gages 40 on the platen. The hose connection 110 shown broken. in. Figure 1 constitutes a means for applying suction to the nozzles from a suitable pump, not shown. The hose is attached to the hollow shaft or tube 77 from which other, flexible, hose connections 52 lead to the nozzles. The foregoing is thought todisclose fully the construction and operation of the invention. By comparing it with the aforesaid patent or other forms of automatic feeders it will be seen that the construction and operation is of extreme simplicity and di dectness and no interveningmechanism is required between the nozzles andtheplaten for delivering the paper into printing p0- sition.

The invention has been disclosed in its vreferred term but it is to be understood that nothing hereinbefore stated is to be construed as a limitation, because changes and alterations may easily be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. V

' I claim I i 1. The combination with a printing'press inchiding a platen and stop gages thereon for positioning the sheetto be printed, of means for supporting the paper, an oscillating carriage mounted on said means, paper separating means mounted-on the carriage, means for operating the paper separating means to separate a sheet ofpaper, means on the carriage for adjusting the IHOVQillBHt of the separating means, co-operating means on the carriage and table for regulating the movement of the carriage and meansfor'op crating the latter to cause the separating means to convey separated paper direct to the platen into. printing position thereon in accord with the position of the stop gages.

2. "he combination with a printing press including a platen and stop gages thereon for positioning the sheet to be printed, of-

paper separating and conveying means com prising paper supportmg means, a suetlon Ill) nozzle for separating thetop sheet 01 paper, I

mechanism for moving the suction nozzle from a paper pick up position to a delivery position for delivering the paper directly to the platen in contact with said stop gages, and means on the paper supporting means;

for adjusting the movement of the suction nozzle in over the platen to accord with the position of the said stop gages...

S. HAINES PLUM, 2'. 

